The Nexus One will always hold a special place in our Android-loving hearts as the first official Google Phone which makes it unfortunate that it’s just too old to receive the upcoming Ice Cream Sandwich update. Google’s Hugo Barra, speaking to the The Telegraph explained that the hardware was simply too old to run the new operating system.

It’s sad to see the Nexus One move into the legacy column of Android devices but it was beloved and revered and will no doubt see a port of Ice Cream Sandwich in some capacity thanks to the Android community.

About David Beren

David is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of TmoNews.com. He considers himself a Jedi Knight, capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound and a connoisseur of fine cell phones. He has been involved in the wireless industry since 2003 and has been known to swap out phones far too many times in any given year. Should you wish to contact him, you can do so: david@tmonews.com.

Still using it. Not super happy with battery life. Hopefully this is an excuse for T-Mobile to get the Galaxy Nexus on or before Jan 5th.

Anonymous

Still using mine every day. My battery life with CyanogenMod ROM is vastly improved. Check it out!

Coachstump

where did you hear the Jan 5th date???

Anonymous

He’s probably basing it on N1 release date.

Towera

So what there saying is that Ice Cream cannot run a a single Core 1 Ghz Chip? Who wants to be that there will be some new single core phones that will be running it.

Anonymous

I’m sure that there will be some single core phones running ICS however I’dont believe that the nexus 1 had enough ROM space to hold ICS. I’m most certain cyanogen or others will figure out what can be stripped out to make it work

Anonymous

Nexus S is single core 1Ghz. Don’t go slinging mud.

As @3560freak said its more than likely due to its paltry 512MB of ROM.

Quarter

Got the cases in let me know if you want one

Auser72

quarter

Anonymous

3560freak is right, its the ROM. It was always painfully small, and it was just a matter of time before the OS ate it all up.

Anonymous

Note they said that the hardware is too old, not that it isn’t capable of running it.

Google made a point of stating that the lifecycle of the hardware for phones should be 18 months. N1 hardware is older than 18 months.

Sad announcement. Yes, I am using my N1 for a couple of years now. Was eying the HTC Sensation as its replacement, but I have not heard about its update path to ICS. I guess I will have to wait until the Galaxy Nexus comes out to T-Mobile next year (?).

Brian Robinson

The Sensations update path I would imagine is going to be around April or March. That seems the speed HTC moves at getting their Sense UI working with the latest update. However, XDA has wonderful people who can probably get it to you as soon as possible. A.K.A. probably by Christmas. I love those guys there!

HTC released an announcement that they’re going to try to update all their latest phones, but don’t have an eta yet… My guess is with Brian, except i’d guess even longer like next July – August. Sense UI is atrocious and it seems like they’re going to have to reach deep this time to integrate it with ICS without destroying everything ICS brings to the table.

Good call on waiting, I would suggest only getting Nexus devices. They’re the only ones to get updates first and the only ones that dont have carrier and manufacturer bloat. F Sense UI, its trash. The UI reloads on me 20 + times a day, there’s tons of glitches, god I could go on for days. I’ve already warranty exchanged 2 because the thing is barely usable.

Woody

I still use my N1 though I’ve moved on to the iPhone. That said, fuck Google. Those clowns said GB would arrive on the N1 “in the coming weeks” and then proceeded to take months to officially release it. Now, even with video proof the N1 can handle ICS, the shitheads are saying it’s too old. Really, fuck them and the horse they rode in on. Bye, bye Android.

Anonymous

It’s ok google will buy you a pretty pony to ease your pain

Anonymous

wow. Google actually said that the lifecycle of an android phone is 18 months. They said this to encourage manufacturers to keep their phones up to date for a specific period, but they also said it so customers would understand that there are limits to how far a phone will be supported.

N1 is over 18 months old. It should be expected that Google won’t udpate.

Nothing is stopping a person from tossing a rom on there.

Personally, I’ll be getting the GN, full price, or on contract from tmo, doesn’t bother me. I’m happy to wait a few weeks, or months to get the pure Google experience.

BigMixxx

sounds like @4ac9731ed737e35461799a08460e652c:disqus is a little upset. I personally will be purchasing one of these myself. I have a personal gripe against samsung (Behold II) but I may have to forgo that gripe and get this. G2x I have is cool, but this phone is truly a sexy beast…

Imperfectly

Re: Nexus One. I’m using mine since my Nexus S got sent in. I think it is better than newer phones tbh. If I didn’t have my NS I would be fine with using this permanently.

Coachstump

still using my N1, looking to upgrade to GN, but not if the HSPA+ model is only going to get a 16 gig hard drive, and everything I’ve been hearing, says HSPA+ =16G, LTE=32G…now, nothing I have heard is anything but hearsay, but none the less, it’s all I seem to be hearing.

Anonymous

I still use my Nexus One as my main phone. It’s not a top performer, due to the abysmal 512MB ROM and RAM.

My next phone needs to have atleast 16GB of storage, ICS, HSPA+ 21 or 42

Anonymous

Still can’t find a phone that I like more than the Nexus One. I hate the plastic feel of all the Samsung phones, and I refuse to use anything other than stock Android. The Sensation and The Amaze would be great if it weren’t for the awful Sense UI. I don’t know how to root and put CM on the phone, so I’m stuck waiting…

Anonymous

Good call on not going to a Sense device. I broke down and got tired of waiting and bought the Sensation. I’m going to regret it for 2 years or until I have the money to get a new one full price.

Babalu

you are a really dumb person… root sr.. root

Marquez1369

I love my n1! Still a great phone. I switch between my g2x. N1 has great battery life. Better than most newer phones out there.

Anonymous

Are you kidding me? My N1 is just over a year old! Sad that El goog is going to give up on it so quickly.

Joe

Uh, no, the N1 will be 2 years old in January (at least mine will be, because that’s when I bought it, release day.

Anonymous

He said “My N1”. Just because its been out 2 years doesn’t make “his” n1 2 years old… duh

When it comes to buying a phone, it’s always a good idea to consider the phone’s release date to gauge how old the device “actually” is and how long it will likely be supported.

Thecityboy781

there gonna make a ICS ROM for the phone.

Pckline

Bummer, I’m in the same situation as most other Nexus One users; The Galaxy S2 feels cheap bc of all the plastic, HTC Sense on the Amaze is a dealbreaker, and I’ve been grandfathered-in with and unlimited plan that I just don’t want to give up and switch to another carrier. Seems like everyone else, hard to buy a newer phone with a sub-par build quality compared to the Nexus One (although the Amaze is pretty nice), let alone pay $300 for it. One bit of good news is that the Galaxy Nexus cleared the FCC with T-Mobiles AWS band, so it should be on T-Mobile at some point.

Brian Robinson

My mom uses my N1 as her daily driver. I still can’t understand how it has such great battery life. Even after 2 years the original battery beats out my Sensation by a long shot. I do take into account the 4G my Sensation uses, but still it is crazy. I love my N1 and it will always be my backup phone just in case.

Dime04

Just handed down my N1 to my daughter. Bought it when it came out for $500+ for use with Tmobile. It’s still running CM7 and still fast as ever. Had to replace it with the SGSII on AT&T. The Nexus was nothing but good to me so I had to keep it in the family. :-)

JBLmobileG1

My girlfriend has my old Nexus One while I use the Tmobile G2. HTC devices are the best and I can’t wait until the day I can upgrade to a phone like the Amaze. :-)

Casillas_94

I know me too I have a g2x right now but it’s just not the phone for me I really don’t like it. Compared to my (MyTouch 4g) I just kept falling in love with that phone not like this one =(

Anonymous

So sad!! I just gave up my N1 back in July, but my wife still uses it. We actually just paid to have the charging port fixed because my wife broke it. She still loves it so much that she would rather pay to fix it than buy a new phone. I’m pretty shocked it can’t handle ICS, but it did have pretty low ram and i’m assuming not enough onboard storage space.

I miss my N1 and every time my Sensation bugs out, I tell my wife “Man they just don’t make it like the N1 anymore”

Guest

“I miss my N1 and every time my Sensation bugs out, I tell my wife “Man they just don’t make it like the N1 anymore”

I was saying the exact same thing!!!!

Anonymous

Check it out again, they didn’t say the N1 was incapable of running ICS, just that they aren’t going to update it. They even said that you should have no problem flashing a ROM on it that has ICS and not have any problems.

Enoel69

Until the specs on a Nexus device are not capable of running or supporting an update..i think Google should provide updates to all Nexus devices. That is one of the main selling point to Nexus devices…”A Google made device with vanilla Android and always the first to get updates directly from Google”. Even though i will be getting the G-Nex, i still want my N1 to be updated to ICS…Google owes that to all the N1 owners..all those who took the Nexus line under their wings. I don’t wonna root my N1…i like the way it is in its pure virgin vanilla Android form.

Enoel69

N1 has the same amount of RAM as the NS. For G-sake that thing has a 1GHz Snapdragon processor should be plenty capable to run ICS

Guest

“… the first official Google Phone”

Sorry, but that would be the G1.

Tjbunch1228

Umm, no. The G1 was the first Android phone. Sold by T-Mobile. The N1 was the first Google created and sold Android phone.

Vim

It’s not quite that clear cut. The G1/Dream wasn’t just the first Android phone, it was also the first phone with the pure Google experience. It was designed by Google, had vanilla Android, and a version of it was even sold directly to devs as the Dev Phone 1. The N1 was the first and only phone sold directly on the web by Google to the masses. The Nexus S wasn’t sold directly by Google to the masses, and neither will be the Galaxy Nexus. So Wally’s point holds true. The G1 was indeed “the first Google Phone”, despite never having had the name Nexus attached to it.

Alex wardlaw

I still rock my N1 as my Daily driver… Do everything on it you can think of.. It STILL runs circles around some of the newer devices… I wish it did have more RAM.. I hate to give it up or lose it because all the new devices are either cheap plastic and/or loaded with bloat ware… I really hate to get a brand new phone only to have to root it and get stock android… The new Galaxy Nexus (Nexus Prime) looks great… BUT ITS PLASTIC!!!..Come on GOOGLE…HTC has it right… had it right with the N1…

Jason Noe

I agree with you 100% HTC is the way to go. They starting Android off with the G1 and that phone was amazing and helped get Android to where it’s at today. Then they made the N1 and it is the best Nexus out and best build quality out of most Android phones. HTC should of made the Nexus Prime!

RogerDaltrey

When the N1 came out – it was a revolutionary phone and way ahead of its time. Then the NS came out and was not as revolutionary and honestly lacking in many areas and other phones were more superior. Then here comes Nexus Prime another plasticky phone – hell the galaxy 2 and the Amaze is stronger and better than the Prime. Welcome to Samsung is all I can say to that. HTC was and is the better choice to date! What I dont understand is Google should not be doing this as its imo given themselves a bad name by putting together a phone that is inferior to the latest phones already out on the market. Think about it…they only thing the Prime has over anything out right now is ICS and thats all it has better! Look at the specs and compare it to the Amaze or the new samsung galaxy gs II – I still love my N1 and wont upgrade until I see a revolutionary phone like the N1 was when it came out. The N1 held its ground for a year and to date you can buy a used N1 on ebay for like $200.00. Show me a phone that is over two years old and still hold its value like the N1 can. Show me a phone that can bring almost half its original cost after 2 years and as well as being used. A two year old phone is worthless accept an N1. There is a reason for that!! Because its perfect! That’s why I probably will just stay with what I have as its just fine as a great smartphone…besides wishing for some more memory.

DetroitTechnoFan

Thank god. If I were an N1 owner, that hideous new OS would be the last thing I’d want to grace my hardware. If it were a choice between Froyo and ICS, I’d be sticking with Froyo.

Bruce Banner

I hope you don’t prefer to go backwards in everyday life. Who in their right mind would choose an outdated version of Android over the newest one. I feel sorry for you.

DetroitTechnoFan

Well, if the new version looks and feels like crap, I’d be sticking with the current. Who wanted to stick with Windows XP even though Windows Vista was released? A lot of people!

TMD Photo

A very good point that most people can’t seem to grasp. Newer =/= Better.

Newer can be better, but it depends on a lot of factors, as well as subjective user experience. I personally like ICS, and would be happy if it reached my HTC G2, but I’m reasonably sure that it won’t and I’m not terribly concerned about it.
I bought the phone based on how much I liked it at the time of purchase. I didn’t buy it thinking, “This phone sucks, but maybe it will suck less after some updates that they definitely owe me.” The Gingerbread OTA was a nice bonus, but it wasmerely cosmetic and had no measurable benefit to me (neither better nor worse, imo).ICS has very noticeable differences to me, both in style and function, but I’m extremely happy with my G2 as is and won’t complain if T-Mobile doesn’t push ICS to a phone that they’ve considered long dead (minor bug fix patches not withstanding, since T-Mo did nothing except push them, unlike needing to do custom coding on a full ICS OTA).

I figure they got a lot farther with the G1 at CyanogenMod than the phone was supposed to, so to say that the Nexus One won’t get ICS in some way, shape, or form seems unrealistic. I mean if my myTouch 3g can run Gingerbread thanks to XDA then this shouldn’t be a problem at all.

Anonymous

no worry, XDA-DEV HAXx0Rs got then covered

Anonymous

once the source is released this phone will be running ics before alot of the manufacturers release their update to ics.

Anonymous

When I first bought the Nexus One I decided to wait and never buy a new phone till it can’t recieve more updates from Google, and here we are. Thank GOD! I can’t stand looking at it anymore.

NexusOneFan

I still have my N1 and I still use it. It is by far my favorite phone by size and design. It looks good, perfect size (not too big like others, and not to thick so it doesn’t feel like a brick), it performs well and it’s stylish. This is the longest I have ever owned a phone (will be 2yrs in January; got mine as soon as it was released), but I guess it is time for a change. T-mobile better get the Galaxy Nexus cuz that is the only next phone I want since I am not a fan of Andorid phones if the manufacturer puts their own spin on the operating system, I prefer the pure google experience that Nexus has provided me.

Jason Noe

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!! I still use the N1 and will not use any other phone. I think there is no other phone out there that is better. The build of the phone and the fact it that I can put any rom on it makes it that great. I don’t like Samsung so I don’t know what I am going to do.

Anonymous

I also use my N1 and still have not seen anything to move me past it. I generally switch back and forth between the latest Cyanogenmod nightly and latest miui weekly ( or anything else I feel like putting on it). I won’t buy the galaxy nexus because I don’t buy samsung (The Behold II sucked because TouchWiz screwed it up so bad even samsung could fix it, and the Samsung Sidekick 4g crashes daily for no reason needing a battery pull to reboot – been burned twice by them, no third chances). Most of the features of ICS are already in miui and I am sure that both cyanogenmod and miui will have ics roms, so really who cares if google doesn’t release an official version for the N1

The1andonly Blucas

I go through a lot of phones, but I always use a nexus for my main phone, I bought the nexus 1 the nexus s and plan to buy the galaxy nexus, overall I liked the nexus 1 over the nexus s in the build quality department but I think they took a step in the right direction with the nexus s. What I think needs to be done is for the next nexus (lets call it the Google Nexus Prime, or nexus prime) I want it to have a better build quality then the nexus s an galaxy nexus, but still made by samsung (i hate htc i dont know why, i just do, but thats personal) specs- quad-core processor, 4.6 in screen, 1080p res, 8-10 megapixels, 1080p video, hdmi, 4g LTE, 1-2 gigs of ram, 32 gigs built in memory, 16 gig micro sd (up to 64 gig) 5 megapixel front facing camera with 720p video, dual flash on back, single flash that also acts as notification light on front, beats by dre speakers or bose. for build i would prefer something similar looking to the galaxy nexus, with a little amaze 4g and nexus 1 splashed in if that makes sense

Lazera Thompson

okay i know that a quad core would be nice but this is a CELL PHONE!!!

the line between smart phones and tablets are already thin as is
i can’t see what would be the use of a quad-core cell phone if they don’t want android to lagg just add about 2.5 gbs of ram and problem solved :/
my opinion

The1andonly Blucas

where we are right now with quad core processors right around the corner for tablets, in one year they could have them in low end phones

sino8r

EXACTLY! Keep the dual cores but just add more ram! That’s all you really need, imo

Anonymous

Might as well get a netbook.

Enoel69

Take a look at the specs of N1 and NS…almost identical specs, so why have they decided not to give the N1 an upgrade to ICS? My guess trying to get all those N1 owners who love their vanilla Android experience to get the Galaxy Nexus. Actually that’s no problem with me, if they just get the G-Nex to Tmobile Asap…besides it already has Tmo bands.

sino8r

The processors are abit different but I bet (99.999% sure) that the Nexus One could easily handle the update to ICS! CM will keep the dream going on! I bet you might even see a special version for the G1! Half of the OS will run from the sd card but it will run! Not good though lol!

The Nexus brand has been tainted ever since Samsung got a hold of it. The Nexus One will always remain the best Nexus phone in my book. It really was waaaaaay ahead of its time. I mean, it remained a top of the line for nearly a year after Google ceased production, in both the software and hardware sides. I’m still using my N1, which is heavily rooted and modded. I just upgraded the rom to Cyanogenmod 7.1. Works great. Little bugger just keeps plugging along with almost no issues whatsoever – especially since I just bought the extended life battery. I will probably keep it until some time next year when HTC releases it’s next super-phone for T-Mobile. I was tempted to trade it in for the Amaze, but I just couldn’t make myself do it. I love the N1 too much. Probably the best piece of technology I’ve ever owned.

Enoel69

I second that….i believe the N1 will run ICS just fine….its specs are similar to those of the NS.

Anonymous

It is kind of weak despite it’s 1gHz processor. My G2 with (HTC one not LG) with it’s 800 mHz processor already outruns it in every test. But still, don’t worry. Just root it and i’ll run anything!

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